The "Happy Days" Framework for Understanding the Two Parties
Here is all you need to know to understand the two political parties as they are in 2007: Both parties want to return to the 1950's. The Republican Party wants to return to Leave-it-to-Beaver type social/sexual options and media offerings. The Democratic Party wants to return to the large company / heavily union work models and economy of the 1950's.
Which makes the titles "Conservative" and "Liberal" worse than meaningless, since each vision is inherently small-c conservative. Both fear change, diversity, and risk, though in different sectors of our lives. In some sense this is the real culture war, between dynamism and fear of change.
I have no problem with other people being risk averse...I just hate it when they try to hector (or, worse yet, legislate) into being risk averse too.